The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1887-09-16
"ON BROKEN PIECES.n
Sermon by Rev. T. De Witt Tai
mage, D. d.

Lessons Drawn from n Notable Shipwrec
In the Struggle with Sin and Doubt,
Let All Else Go and Clinp 20
the Beam of the Cross
BROOKLYN, N. Y, Jan. 16.-Dr ralmag
took for his text this morning part of tn
Il -ty-fourth verse of the twenty-sevent
chapter of Acts: 'sSome on broken piece
Of the ship" He then said.
Never of Goodwin Sands, or the Ske,
ries, or Cape Hatteras, was a ship in wors
predicament than in the Mediterranea
hurricane was the grain ship, on which tw
hundred and seventy-six passengers wer
driven on the coast of Malta, five mile
from the metropolis Of that island calle
Citta Vecchia. After two weeks ten
pest, in which the ship was entirely dis
abled and captain and crew had becom
completely demoralized, an old missionar-
took command of the vessel He was small
crooked-b backed and sore-eyed, according
to tradition. 1t was Paul, the only un
| scared man aboard. He was no NOR,
afraid of a Euroclydon tossing the Mediter
ranean Sea- now up to the gates of Heaven
and now sinking to the gates of hell, thar
he was of kitten playing with string
He ordered them all down to take theil
Yetions, first asking for them blessing
| Then he insured all their lives, telling then
they would be rescued, and, so far from
| losing their heads, they would not lose 81
much OF their hair as you could cut of with
| one click OF the scissors; aye, not thread
OF it, whether 1t were gray with age OF
| golden with youth. ssThere shall not q
hair fall from the head OF any of you"
Knowing that they can never get to the
desired port, they make the sea on the four.
teenth night black with overthrown cargo
SO that when the ship strikes it will not
strike so heavily. At daybreak they saw
creek, and in their exigency resolved to
make for it. And so they cut the cables,
took in the two paddles that they had on
these old boats, and hoistei the mainsail,
so that they might come up with such force
as TO be driven high up on the beach by
some fortunate billow. There she goes,
tumbling towards the rocks; now prov
foremost; now stern foremost; now roll
ing over to starboard: now a wave dashes
clear over the deck, and it seems as if the
old craft has gone forever. But up she
comes again. Paul's arm around a mast,
he cries: "All is well; God has gwen me
all those that sail with me-"
Crashi went the PROV with such force
the timbers till the seas rushed through
from side to side of the vessel She parted
amid-ships, and into thousand fragments
the vessel goes, and into the waves two
hundred and seventy-six immortals are
precipitated. Some Of them had been
brought up on the sea-shore and had
learned to swim, and with their chin just
above the waves and by stroke of both
arms and propulsion Of both feet they put
out for the beach and reach it. But, alas,
for those othersi They had never learned to
swim, or they were wounded by the falling
Of the mast, or the nervous shock was too
great for them. And others had been
weakened by long seasickness.
Oh, what will become of thems aTake
that piece OF q rudder,n says Paul to one
Take that fragment of a spar,n says Paul
to another. .'Take that table,, s.Take
that image Of Castor and Pollok" aTake
that plank from the lifeboatn take any
. saias apa head for The he iStts = What e
merciiess waters, how they sweep over
the heads of men, women and chiIdrenl
Hold on therel Almost ashore, keen mn
your couragel Remember what Paul told
you.
There, the receding wave on the beach
leaves in the sand whole family: there
crawls up out Of the surf the centurion.
there another plank comes In with a life
clinging fast to it; there another piece of |
the shattered vessel with its freightage of |
an immortal soul. They must by this time |
ali be saved. Yes, there comes in last of |
all-for he had been overseeing the rest
me old missionary. who wrings the water
from his gray beard and cri es out: .sThank
Sod all are hereP'
i
Gather them around a fire and call the
oil Paul builds fire, and when the
'undies OF sticks begin to crackle, and.
'tandng and sitting around the blaze, the
passengers begin to recover from their
niil, and their wet clothes begin to drv
ND warmth begins to come into all the
nivering passengers, let the purser of the
essei go round and see If any of the poor
FEATURES are missing Not one Of that
1owa tnat were plunged into the sea- How .
removes our anxiety as we read: ssSome j
broken pieces Of the ship, and so !
md"
Having on previous occasions looked Mt Z
le other passengers, confine mvseIf ~. .
~ to an examination of those who came :
on broken pieces OF the shin. There IL /
about them that excites In mo 9
4 intense interest 1 am not so much in. l
rested in those that could swim. Thew 0
y ashore, as expected. A mile of water
not very great undertaking for strong |,
or even two miles are not But r
can not stop thinking about those on .
oxen pieces Of tho ship b
The great Gospel ship Is the finest yesse, e
the universe and can carry more passen- a
~ than any craft ever constructed. and /
u could no more wreck it than you could v
reck the throne Of God ALMIGHTY p
sh al the people would come aboard of "
T. could not promise q smooth VOYAGE 81
OF times it would be tempestuous or nj
'nopped sea, but could promise safe e
avail for all who took passage on that s,
eat Eastern, 90 called by me because its ii
mmander came out Of the east the star OF
the east badge OF His authority. de-
suit vast multitude do not take ne eular IS
usage. Their theology u broken in W
ces, and their life is broken in pieces W
their worldly and spiritual prospects =
broken in pieces, and yet believe thew
going to reach the shining shore. and I as
encouraged by the experiences of those ga
pie who are spoken Of In the text: Al
ome on broken pieces Of the shipn I'M
me object Of this sermon Is TO encourage ur
those who can not take the whole svs- his
OF religion - we believe Il but who an